Restaurants such as quick serve restaurants typically value the soaking action of a power soak sink and also value the convenience of a dishwashing machine for items that do not require soaking. Two separate systems are used to perform each function.
Restaurants typically utilize a three sink system to clean and sanitize dishes that may be too large to fit inside a dishwashing machine or that may require pre-soaking because they are too soiled. A typical three sink system includes a wash sink, a rinse sink, and a sanitize sink. Alternatively, a single sink may be used as a soak sink to pre-soak dishes, and the soak sink is similar to the wash sink in the three sink system.
The operation of the three sink system and the soak sink is typically very manually intensive, which increases the opportunities for operator error or possibly even neglect. For example, the wash sink or the soak sink is typically manually filled with water, the desired amount of chemical is added, the dishes are allowed to soak, the sink agitator is activated (if available), and the water and the chemical in the sink are manually refilled and/or refreshed when it becomes too soiled.
It is desired to automate some of the steps in operation of the three sink system or the soak sink to help reduce the likelihood of operator error and neglect and to ensure proper cleaning and sanitization of dishes.